Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
M.A., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
B.A., Oberlin College
B.Mus., Oberlin Conservatory of Music

EXPERTISE/INTERESTS

college student development and adult psychology; college access; international student affairs; talent development; longitudinal research

I study the connections between education and adult life. My research follows “best case” groups of students across the transitions from high school to college to career: high school valedictorians, Rhodes Scholars, and low income students of color from innovative high schools. The work centers on the ways in which individual, organizational, and social factors come together to perpetuate inequality in individuals’ educational opportunities, higher education experiences, and subsequent life chances. I also study educational conditions and interventions designed to advance human development and social equality. This practice-oriented work takes place in community-based college access organizations in the U.S. and at universities in China and elsewhere around the world.

My graduate student teaching draws from my professional experience as a dean of students and my scholarly expertise in developmental theory and adult learning. At the Ph.D. level, this means courses in which doctoral students discover and follow their own interests, connect to their peers, and develop the tools to become creators of knowledge. For Master’s students, courses connect theory, professional applications, and personal experience to form them as reflective practitioners of higher education.

Youn, T.I.K., Arnold, K.D., & Shang, Y. (2012, November). Of unequal advantages in the American meritocracy: Higher education and leadership attainment among the best and the brightest. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. Las Vegas, NV

Arnold, K.D. (2012, July 18-21). Panelist and roundtable presentations: Learning objectives, student development and measuring outcomes; Using qualitative assessment for continuous program and faculty improvement; Teaching adaptive skills for lifelong learning and professional versatility. Zeferino Vaz School for Higher Education. Center for Advanced Studies, University of Campinas and Sao Paulo Research Foundation. Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Arnold, K.D., & Castleman, B.L. (2012, April). The forgotten summer: Does the offer of college counseling in the summer after high school graduation mitigate attrition among college-intending students? Workshop presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Partnership for Education Access. Chicago, IL.

Zhu, Hong, & Arnold, K.D. (2010, November). Understanding and promoting student engagement and academic achievement in Asian universities: A study of Beijing college students. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. Indianapolis, IN.

Arnold, K.D. & Strange, C. (2010, April). Teaching from the Art. Paper presented at the American College Personnel Association. Boston.